Meeting Planners & Event Planning Information for Portland, Oregon

You want a unique place for a meeting and affordable accommodations to match. You want great culture, memorable meals and delicious microbrews with no side order of sales tax. You want delegates to be zipped easily from the airport to the convention center while being easy on the environment, too.

In Brief

All of the items you gave us to promote the meeting helped make it a success, even in a year of recession.

— Lauren Cummings, National Association of State Budget Officers

“More than 70 breweries call the city home … and now, Portland’s ground zero for some of the best brewing in the country.” – Thrillist, 2015

38

minutes

It’s just 38 minutes from the airport to downtown via light rail.

Our attendees were delighted with Portland’s restaurants, public transit and especially microbreweries!

— Nicole Guy, Microscopy Society of America

#1

U.S. airport*

Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards, 2013–2015

“We keep coming back to Portland because it’s a great city for a conference — the scenery is beautiful, the shopping is great, and the downtown area is incredibly alive and inviting.” — Calva Leonard, Society for Imaging Science and Technology

World’s Best

Street Food*

“This Northwest city is doing for street food what it did for coffee.” — U.S. News

“Portland was voted Greenest City in America “thanks to its colorful parks, its top-ranked mass transit and its flair for sustainable eating.” — Travel + Leisure, 2015

Value

Instead of using this space to trumpet what Portland offers, let’s pause for a moment to highlight what it doesn’t: There is no sales tax or food and beverage tax here. Translated: Portland lets you stretch your meeting budget.

Your bottom line will thank you, as will your delegates, who’ll use the money they save to take full advantage of Portland’s acclaimed dining, shopping and cultural offerings.

Check out how Portland stacks up against other Western destinations.

Lodging: Average Daily Rate

(First class, including tax)*

Portland

$153

Spokane

$114

Vancouver

$133

Salt Lake City

$135

Sacramento

$140

Phoenix

$143

Denver

$160

Long Beach

$166

San Diego

$180

Seattle

$191

San Jose

$219

Three-Meal Total

(Average)*

Portland

$76

Vancouver, B.C.

$70

Spokane

$71

Denver

$72

Phoenix

$73

San Jose

$84

Sacramento

$84

Salt Lake City

$85

Seattle

$87

San Diego

$88

Long Beach

$91

Central City Single Day Tax Amount**

Portland

$22.86

San Diego

$25.72

Phoenix

$29.04

Sacramento

$29.10

San Jose

$29.80

Salt Lake City

$29.92

Denver

$32.56

Seattle

$35.11

*Source: Runzheimer International, January 2015. All amounts USD.
**Source: “Travel Taxes in the U.S. (Combined Taxes on Lodging, Rental Cars and Meals),” Global Business Travel Association, December 2013.